1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to tools and in particular to metal detector, having a handle positioned relative to a sensor, used for finding a metal object, hidden behind a surface.
2. Background of the Invention
Metal detectors are well known tools used to find ferrous and non-ferrous materials sometimes hidden behind or under a surface. Such detectors often use an inductive coil for finding metal. The coil may be wound such that it occupies a 2-dimensional plane or near plane or alternatively may be wound laterally around a center cylinder. Such cylinder coils are often placed at the end of a handle either perpendicularly in a hammer-like configuration or end-on-end in a wand-like configuration.
In a hammer configuration, the center axis of the coil is perpendicular to the center axis of the handle and located at the end of the handle. Such detectors may typically be used with the center axis of the handle positioned parallel to a target surface such that the round end of the coil is closest to the surface. If an operator desires to detect metal using the elongated cylinder portion of the coil, the operator rotates the handle 90 degrees about the handle-coil intersection. Such a rotation causes a significant change in positioning of the operator's hand.
In a wand configuration, the center axis of the coil is either inline with the center axis of the handle or offset but parallel to the center axis of the handle. Such detectors may typically be used with the center axis of the coil positioned at an acute angle to the target surface. If an operator desires to detect a metal object with the coil's center axis positioned parallel and perpendicular to the surface, the operator makes significant changes in positioning of the operator's hand and/or wrist.
Other handle-coil positions exists, however, all provide less than a 20-degree offset between a handle and a coil from that of either a hammer configuration or a wand configuration. With such low-angle handle-coil offset, an operator must makes significant changes in positioning of the operator's hand and/or wrist when switching between having the coil's round end face the surface verses having the coil's elongated cylinder face the surface. Additionally, neither the hammer nor wand configurations provide for easy repositioning between a perpendicular and parallel positions without a significant repositioning of an operator's hand and/or wrist. Therefore, a need exists for a metal detector that minimizes repositioning of an operator's hand and wrist when switching a coil's center axis positioning between perpendicular and parallel to target surface.